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Our Bureau

Kolkata, Sept. 20 The External Affairs Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, said here on Saturday that India was hopeful to start cross-border trade with Pakistan.

“Discussions are still on with Pakistan on cross LoC trade and we are hopeful in this regard,” Mr Mukherjee told newspersons on the sidelines of the annual general meeting of Bengal National Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Earlier, India had planned to start the cross-border trade soon after ‘Ramzan’ month this year.

In 2005, India had suggested trade across the LoC on Srinagar-Muzaffarabad, Poonch-Rawalkote and Kargil-Skardu routes. A list of items, too, was handed over to Pakistan in this regard.

Earlier, addressing the AGM of the chamber, the External Affairs Minister said a “peaceful co-existence with the neighbouring countries is necessary” to maintain a sustained economic growth.

“There may be causes of irritation or divergence of perceptions between India and its neighbours as no sovereign country is expected to agree with us on every issue,” he said, adding that India needed 10 to 15 years of undisturbed and sustained growth to add to its economic muscle.

“We have already become a trillion-dollar economy. The foreign direct investment flow in the country since 1991 has touched $80 billion.

But China is far ahead of us,” he said and identified improvement in social infrastructure, such as health, sanitation, creation of world-class physical infrastructure and increase in availability of resources for fresh investments as major challenges before the country to maintained sustained growth.

Mr Mukherjee ruled out interference by the Centre in resolving the crisis over Tata Motors investment at Singur in West Bengal. “It would mean the return of old licence raj era.

The Centre cannot dictate where investments should go,” he said, declining to comment any further on the issue.

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